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TKR Onwards and upwards - my journey continues

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Hi Pat, don't be so worried about being a whimp... whimp is good. It is a self preservation mechanism to keep you from overdoing. In our family I am the one who always pushes but this time around I am making a point of being a whimp. It is my turn! It will be 2 weeks tomorrow since my surgery. The first week I could not lift my heel off the bed with a rolled towel behind my knee. I still tried but it hurt too much so I stopped just as it started to hurt. I felt it was a giant milestone when the morning of day 7 the heel just popped up off the bed... 2 whole inches! Take heart... it will be ok!:friends:
 
Hang in there Creeker...Every milestone is wonderful!!...Keep posting and know we care and are here for you!!...Hugs!!
 
Well today is the first day on my own. A little nervous. Just got settled upstairs to do my exercises and my meds were downstairs. So down i went and tried to get organized. Have a telephone appointment with my gp at eleven to talk about meds. Still doing lots of icing and elevating and taking little peeks at the scar. O im getting so brave. Knee seems stiffer somehow without a dressing which is weird. Thought it would have been the other way round. Hope everyone has a lovely day x:SUNsmile:
 
Arghhhhhhh:groan:Fell asleep waiting for doctor to call only to find my phone was on silent and 3 missed calls. And i thought i was coping well.:hairpulling:
 
Hi Pat, I know how that is about falling asleep. I have missed some phone calls too, but that's ok. We need our rest!! And I think you are doing great! :happydance:Have a nice day and don't overdo...Hugs, Gilda
 
I found the impromptu napping always inconvenient but it does make you feel better. It makes up for the unrestful nighttime sleeping... It lessens as you use fewer and lower doses of meds.
 
Can anyone help with the question " Are we allowed to shave our legs?" I Think my daughter was more disgusted with the state of my hairy legs than my scar:eeeuw:
 
Patricia, for me I couldn't shave my legs as long as I was on blood thinners. So from two weeks before surgery (doc said no in case of a nick and infection) to I think it was a month after surgery. Talk about hairy legs. My surgeon told me that after surgery the hair grows faster too because of blood flow. So yes, really grossed me out when my hair was growing through my compression stockings.
 
:) Not a pretty sight is it Debbie but guess it might keep me legs warmer now the weathers getting colder. Thanks for your input - another ten days to go. :sorry:
 
Well just back from my first physio. And im quite pleased. Emma was lovely and was very pleased with my progress so far. I only had ROM of 75 but she agreed that was fine for just over 2 weeks and there is still quite a lot of swelling. She told me to continue exercising 3 times a day.. Nothing too strenuous i was pleased to hear. She gave me a few more exercises to add to mine so hopefully will improve ROM next week when i go back. Now for icing and elevating.:yay:
 
Hi Pat, a late welcome to post surgery! I've been on vacation and can't keep up with all the action here anyway! Lol! It sounds like you are getting off to a good start, other than remembering what you need downstairs and hearing the phone! It's hard to get organized when you aren't quite all there with meds and all. Keep doing those stretches!
 
Thank you so much Janet. This site has been a god send. Ive read your thread and im in awe of you for having TWO done. I just cant imagine that other than get it over in one. Im not that brave. Its took me a long long time to have the TKR and am so pleased i did now. It will be nice to catch up. Take care :)
 
Oh, no awe necessary! I just got to lay around in bed watching tv a little more the first week! Nothing more difficult with two than one, other than, as I'm trying to work it out now, getting up off the floor!
 
ok HERE I AM WITH QUESTIONS AGAIN.WHAT IS A CPM MACHINE AND DOES IT HELP WITH RECOVERY AND THE TED STOCKINGS - ARE YOU ALLOWED TO TAKE THEM OFF AT NIGHT OR IS IT BETTER TO WEAR THEM 24/7. I HAVE ANOTHER 3 WEEKS WITH THEM YET AND FIND THEM SO HOT AND UNCOMFORTABLE AT NIGHT TO SLEEP IN. HOPE SOMEONE CAN HELP X
 
A Cpm machine is a Constant Passive Motion machine. It cradles your leg and slowly bends and straightens. It's passive because you aren't using muscles, you just lay there. Some use it, others don't. I was told my surgeon only uses it in the hospital, not rehab, but my early bend was rather limited, so I used it for two weeks. It's not do or die if you use it or not.

I was told not to wear the teds at night. If they are really uncomfortable, and you have a full foot style, you can cut the toes off or even the foot. I requested the ones without toes, because I wouldn't have been able to stand them! But once on I found them comfortable, and once I stopped using them, I wore them when I knew I was going to be on my feet or unable to elevate my legs at a social occasion for several hours.
 
My doctor also told me to wear the teds only during the day. It was interesting at the joint reunion yesterday we got to ask questions and one guy got up and asked about the CPM machine and why they don't use then at our hospital. Apparently the doctor said there have been studies that it really doesn't help in the long run and some insurance companies won't pay for them so they didn't want patients to have to pay extra for something that didn't make a difference.
 
Thanks for that ladies i dont think they are very common in the UK (CPM) . No one has ever mentioned them to me. Good idea about cutting the foot from the stocking. will try that. maybe Josephine could comment about wearing them 24 hours a day as ive been told. Thats why i love this site. Theres always someone willing to help you out to questions you wuldnt know who to ask.:thankyou:
 
Wow how can a few exercises cause so much swelling. Easy day today with lots of icing. Also when i was trying to sleep last night i was wheezing like an old man. Really creaky sounds coming from my chest. I havent got a cold or anything so dont know what that means. Weird
 
I cannot believe how swollen my knee is after one session of physio. obviously i wasnt doing the exercises right before. I have been doing what everyone says and listening to my knee so not doing anything but icing and elevating today. I cant even lift it on and off the bed without pain today.
 
A continuous passive movement machine (which is much the same thing as constant but that's the official name as per the manufacturers!) is not used much in this country though there are still some die-hard surgeons who think they are the answer to getting a good ROM! However, the rest tend to think the word 'passive' is the reason NOT to use them. Each to his own, I suppose.

TED stockings are a nightmare. Not only which that there is a body of evidence that they don't actually do what they are supposed to do. The jury is still out on it. Personally, I found they were making deep purple indents right below my knee and reckoned they were more of a hazard than a help so I took them off on day 4 and laid them very conspicuously on the end of the bed. The sister came to the door, obviously alerted by one of the nurses, stood there for about three minutes thinking, then walked away without saying anything! Later that day my surgeon visited and stayed for some minutes chatting. He must have seen them but never said a word either so I never wore them again! Not that I am recommending that as a choice, mind you! :wink:

What kind of exercises are you doing? Tell the exercise, how many times you do it and for how long, and how often during the day.
 
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